2018 Asia Cup Qualifier
The 2018 Asia Cup Qualifier was a cricket tournament that was held in Malaysia from 29 August to 6 September 2018. The event served as the qualifier for the 2018 Asia Cup. The top two teams from the group stage met in the final, with the winner progressing to the 2018 Asia Cup. The fixture between the United Arab Emirates and Nepal on 30 August 2018 was a One Day International (ODI) match. It was the first time both sides had played each other in an ODI match, with the UAE going on to win the fixture by 78 runs.
| Dates | 29 August – 6 September 2018 |
|---|---|
| Administrator(s) | Asian Cricket Council |
| Cricket format | One Day International and Limited overs (50–over) |
| Tournament format(s) | Round-robin and final |
| Host(s) | Malaysia |
| Champions | Hong Kong (1st title) |
| Participants | 6 |
| Matches | 16 |
| Player of the series | Ahmed Raza |
| Most runs | Ashfaq Ahmed (224) |
| Most wickets | Ahmed Raza (16) |
The United Arab Emirates finished top of the group stage with eight points. They were joined in the final by Hong Kong, who finished second with seven points, and a better net run rate than Oman, who also finished with seven points. Hong Kong won the final, beating the UAE by two wickets, to qualify for the 2018 Asia Cup. Hong Kong's captain, Anshuman Rath, said afterwards that "all the hard work that has gone in this tournament over the last couple of months really has paid off".